Lottery Winnings Split In Divorce Case

January 20, 1995

Cook County — A Chicago-area man who was ordered by a judge to give his estranged wife nearly $20 million of the winning $40 million lottery ticket that he purchased is considering appealing the decision.

In what is the largest known lottery-prize settlement in a divorce case, Cook County Circuit Judge Calvin Hall said Thursday that Polly Andreen, of Phoenix, is entitled to nearly half of the winnings.

The winning quick-pick ticket was purchased by former Illinois State Trooper Herbert Andreen while the couple were married and living in the Chicago area in June 1992.

"I feel like I have won the lottery a second time," said Polly Andreen, 58, a former toll collector. "The excitement of winning the first time had a damper quickly put on it when six months later my husband left and filed for a divorce."

Polly Andreen said the couple were in the process of building their $900,000 dream home in the Phoenix area when her husband left. Before that she said she had no indication there was a problem in the two-year marriage.

However, attorney Donald Schiller, who represented Herbert Andreen, 49, said "from the beginning, it was an unhappy marriage and they talked about divorce frequently."